1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image communication apparatus for transmitting image data, and more particularly to an image communication apparatus for transmitting image data in a transmission format adapted to a condition of a destination station of the image data.
2. Related Background Art
As a function of a facsimile device, multi-address transmission which designates a plurality of destinations and transmits the same image to those destinations has been known.
In the prior art, in such multi-address transmission, the order of the transmission is designated by a user.
However, when the multi-address transmission is carried out in the order designated by the user in the color image multi-address transmission, the following problems are encountered.
For example, when a color document is to be transmitted to a color FAX, a monochromatic FAX, a color FAX and a monochromatic FAX, it is transmitted in the order of color, monochromatic, color and monochromatic. Thus, even after the transmission has proceeded to a state that the remaining destination is only the monochromatic station, a large capacity of color image (compared with a monochromatic image) is still stored in an image buffer of a transmission station and hence there is waste of use of the memory.
Further, when the transmission is carried out in the order of color, monochromatic, color and monochromatic, the control is complex. Similar problems, that is, the low efficiency of use of the memory and the complexity of the control are encountered in a facsimile device which adopts a coding system called a hierarchy coding.